Question: How do YouTube and Podcasts change our understanding of "writing" on the web? How is writing different for video?
Today, the Internet provides several corporations linking to one another through advertisements in video streaming. One particular place we see the linking of companies is through YouTube, which streams videos online for free. In the article "The YouTube Phenomenon" by PC Mag, author John Dvorak discusses how huge websites like YouTube spend millions of dollars and in return, make a very small profit because they offer their services for free. However, popular video and sound streaming websites and companies give others a chance to advertise to a massive audience of both viewers and listeners. While the issue of copyrighted materials is still being heavily watched over, there isn't a lot companies can do about their material being aired by someone without rights to that material. Dvorak notes that "If a company such as NBC actually managed to shut down YouTube, the backlash would be so severe that NBC would likely be forced out of business--that's how big YouTube has become." Without websites like YouTube offering their services for free to a massive audience, companies wouldn't be able to reach their audiences through advertising. Even if copyrighted material is being streamed online, that company is still making money because more and more people are seeing and hearing about their services or products.
Both YouTube and Podcasts, in the sense of advertisement, change our understanding of writing through visual and audio recognition. Not only are companies benefiting from their material, some are even teaching their viewers about writing. Grammar Girl is an example of an online script accompanied by audio in which listeners or readers literally learn about writing. The Podcast I listened to was called "Top Ten Grammar Myths" where Grammar Girl discussed myths that people often encounter in writing. The Internet has provided many helpful tools for learning, especially when there is absolutely no cost to listen in or read. Video streaming is a little bit different in the sense that you can both see and hear writing. I've noticed on YouTube how some of the users who post videos incorporate some form of writing into their videos, such as lyrics to songs. While this form of writing may be beneficial it also has downfalls because anyone can post on YouTube and we often see language used in instant messaging. Our understanding of writing is changing especially when strangers through the Internet are teaching us. I think in the near future we will see more and more shorthand related writing that reflects writing one would see in instant messengers.
I am really interested in this idea of shorthand and internet writing. We are definitely seeing this type of writing in social networking; whether or not it moves over to more formal types of writing remains to be seen. You are right that videos have gained so much popularity that they are starting to change our definition of writing. I have heard some scholars talk about "composing" as opposed to "writing" to accommodate these multimedia formats.